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Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools

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Farewell message from Superintendent Dr. Nyah Hamlett

Celebrating Progress. Centering Students. Leading Without Fear.

Dear CHCCS Community,

As I prepare to close out my tenure as Superintendent of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, I do so with immense pride, gratitude and reflection. The past four and a half years have been a journey of courageous leadership, relentless advocacy and unwavering belief in what our students deserve.

We’ve walked this path together - through transformation, resistance, joy and challenge. Whether or not you always agreed with me, trusted my decisions or understood my approach, we dared to dream bigger for our children, even when the way forward wasn’t easy. And we proved that even amid differences, we could make progress together, one courageous step at a time, recognizing that our commitment to children unites us.

Student Success: A Story Worth Telling

Our students are thriving - and their growth tells the story of a district that is becoming more intentional, more equitable and more excellent:

These results are not accidental. They are the product of purposeful classroom instruction and leadership, brave decision-making and a community beginning to embrace the discomfort required to change long-standing systems.

A District Transformed

Together, we’ve:

  • Reached a record-high 94.8% graduation rate (2022-23), which we then followed-up with 967 seniors walking the stage in 2024 (our largest total number of graduates in a single year.)
  • Elevated the number of schools earning an A or B grade from 66.7% to 73.7%.
  • Reduced low-performing group designations from 12 schools in 2019 to just 4 in 2023.
  • Reduced discipline disparities over the last three years.
  • Increased our employee fill rate to 99.7% for school-based certified positions (up from 86% in 2021), and 98.2% for EC certified positions, reflecting substantial progress in recruiting and retaining staff. 
  • Strengthened student engagement and improved attendance outcomes over a three-year period. 
    • As of March, satisfactory attendance is up 9.5 percentage points across all students compared to prior years. 
    • Since 2022-23, elementary attendance has increased by 11.4 points, middle school by 8.3 points and high school by 8.5 points. 
    • Chronic absenteeism has dropped to its lowest level in three years—now at 16.5% districtwide.
  • Fostered ongoing collaboration through monthly meetings with the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Association of Educators and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro PTA Council to share accurate information, address concerns and recognize achievements.
  • Built engagement structures that center student, educator and community voice—from the Superintendent's Community Walk and Talks to my Student Equity and Empathy Ambassadors to our Interfaith Leaders Council, Principal Advisory Council, Superintendent's Classified Employee Advisory Council, Latinx Action Group and School-Based Educator Cabinet.
  • Established robust “grow your own” leadership pipeline programs to identify, develop and elevate internal talent. 
  • Advocated for and secured $800,000 in SEL and mental health resources and passed a major bond referendum to reimagine the future of our school buildings.

Through unprecedented financial challenges (for this community) and tough decision-making, we led a continued evolution of our budget development and public transparency work. In 2020, prior to my tenure, the district’s budget document was only 17 pages. By FY21 - our first year working together - it had grown to 74 pages. This year, the FY25 budget spans 159 pages, offering unprecedented detail, clarity and alignment with our strategic plan. These efforts earned national recognition through the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) Meritorious Budget Award, positioning CHCCS as a model for budget transparency and community engagement in school finance.

Our communications efforts also underwent a major transformation. We are now a National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA)-aligned district, demonstrating excellence across the four pillars of effective school communication: advocacy, communication, engagement and leadership. Our crisis communications have become timely, clear and compassionate - strengthening public trust and helping de-escalate tense moments to the best of our ability. We’ve also innovated how we tell the CHCCS story, especially through employee and student recognitions aligned with our strategic plan. These efforts have reinforced our community identity, even amid difficult challenges that often erode trust in public organizations.

We have strengthened safety across our schools and buildings. By building a culture of proactive safety practices - through regular training, walkthrough debriefs and leadership coaching - we’ve ensured that safety is not treated as a one-time initiative, but a continuous commitment. From enhanced protocols and non-negotiable expectations to real-time facility upgrades, safety is now embedded into the daily fabric of how we lead and care for our school communities.

We have rebuilt HR systems for greater efficiency, responsiveness, accountability and care. We’ve also strengthened operations, redesigned how we engage families and told the truth—consistently and transparently—about the work still ahead.

This is not a brag sheet - this is a record of transformation, built through urgency, integrity and service. The foundation is stronger; not perfect, but principled. We’ve seen real tangible growth in structures, systems, operational efficiency and most importantly - student outcomes; and yet, there’s still more to do. Let the record show: this wasn’t disruption for its own sake, it was groundwork for what this district can become. Now it’s yours to continue to grow. 

Don’t Flinch Leadership: A Legacy of Courage

A couple of years into this superintendency, I embraced a mindset that guided me through the hardest decisions: Don’t Flinch Leadership - the refusal to back down in the face of discomfort, disinformation or deliberate malice. It’s how we stood firm in equity-centered policies. It’s how we made bold, necessary budget decisions. It’s how we protected the integrity of our classrooms and our people to the maximum extent possible.

But leading this way came at a cost. I shared months ago that I would be stepping down - not because I was defeated, but because I chose my children’s safety, joy and well-being over continuing to serve in a space that no longer afforded them the same care I advocated for every student.

I’ve learned that some people will mistake courage for conflict, boldness for arrogance, or boundaries for weakness. But I leave this role knowing that I stayed true to my calling - and I stayed long enough to make it count.

To the Community: Thank You

Thank you for allowing me to lead, to serve and to grow alongside you. Thank you to our Board of Education, my Cabinet team, our principals, educators, staff and families who never stopped fighting for what our students deserve.

To the next generation of leaders; our students: Your name, your voice, your vision - matter. Speak up. Build systems. Maintain your peace. And above all else - Don’t Flinch.

This is not goodbye to this community. I’m simply stepping into a new chapter - one that allows me to be fully present with my children and grounded in the values that have shaped every decision I’ve made. I will forever be proud of what we built together and cheering you on from afar.

With gratitude, hope and an unflinching heart,

Nyah D. Hamlett, Ed. D.
Superintendent, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools

2021-2025

📽️ Watch on YouTube: Dr. Hamlett’s farewell video